Car: Dodge Dart Swinger 340
Year: 1971
What makes it special: The Dart was refreshed for 1970 with front and rear changes designed to bring the car closer to the design themes found in Dodge’s full-size vehicles through grille and contour changes. In the rear, the Dart’s new rectangular tail lights were set into a wedge-shaped rear bumper design continuing the angled trailing edge of the new deck lid and quarter panels. The “Swinger” name was applied to all the Dart two-door hardtops except in the high-line custom series.
What made it famous: The 1971 Dart received new smaller quad taillamps that would be used through 1973. The Custom 2-door hardtop coupe became the Swinger, and the standard Swinger became the Swinger Special. A new audio option became available for 1971: Chrysler’s cassette-recorder. Unlike the 8-track tapes, the cassette player was relatively compact, and it was mounted on the console or on its own floor-mount casing. The Swinger 340 came with functional hood scoops with 340 emblems. Standard equipment included front disc brakes, heavy duty “Rallye” suspension, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, fiberglass-belted bias-ply tires mounted to 14″ × 5½” steel wheels, and a bumble bee stripe. Optional equipment included an upgrade over the standard bench seat with all-vinyl bucket seats, with which a center console could be ordered. A performance hood upgrade with scoops was painted flat black with hood tie-down pins. Mechanical options included power-assisted brakes and steering. Rallye wheels and wire wheel covers were also optional, as was a 6000 rpm tachometer and a vinyl roof covering in black or white.
Why I would want one: Love any time you take an economy-based model and upgrade it to a performance model for two reasons: you have the lightweight body with V8 power, and most people would think you’re driving an economy car, when in fact it’s a performance model, which leads to surprised reaction when challenged.
Fun fact: The Dart name originally appeared on a 1957 show car featuring a body designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia.
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